Brussels joins the control of urban pigeon pests with contraceptive feed

The city of Brussels has successfully joined the strategy of other European capitals of opting for the use of birth control pills in feed to reduce the growing population of pigeons in the cities, whose municipalities are already installing new dispensers, according to the local press reported this Tuesday.

The Belgian municipality of Schaerbeek, northwest of the city, was the last to place contraceptive seed devices in public spaces to limit and better control the pigeon populations present in the territory, a measure that has already been used by the neighborhoods of Ixelles or central Brussels.

The recent increase in pigeon populations, due to causes such as increased temperatures, has caused discomfort in cities mainly due to the acidity of their excrement, which causes dirt, damage to urban furniture and monuments, as well as high cleaning costs.

Furthermore, the increase in these birds, which can reproduce throughout the year and have few predators, has put the focus on their ability to transmit diseases to people such as toxoplasmosis, salmonellosis or ornithosis.

From 2022, in Brussels It is prohibited to capture and kill pigeons, so other measures have been used to control their expansion.

The Brussels political authorities had already tried to stop the feeding of pigeons by residents, even imposing fines of up to 125 euros or more even in case of repeat offenses.

The contraceptive product, supervised by the Vets for City Pigeons association, consists of the installation of contraceptive pigeon lofts in which each day, at a specific time, a dose of corn grains coated with a medicine against bird parasites is distributed, whose side effect is contraception.

This contraceptive effect is temporary and reversible, so the moment the birds stop consuming that corn they could have babies again.

Regarding whether this product may pose a danger to other birds, the producers indicate that, due to the dominant nature of urban pigeons, other species do not have the opportunity to eat the corn, in the event that remains remain on the ground by accident. -something unlikely since the amount dispensed is calculated based on the pigeons.

They also point out that other smaller birds, such as sparrows, are anatomically incapable of ingesting these seeds due to their size. In the same way, the installation of surveillance cameras at feeding places is planned.

In other municipalities of Brussels, such as the City of Brussels, where they began using the product three years ago, they foresee an expansion of this method: “Currently, we have six distribution points for these seeds and there are plans to install seven more in the near future,” said Sanne de Bie, press officer for the municipality’s Animal Welfare Councilor, Zoubida Jellab.

Regarding public acceptance of the product, taking into account factors such as its cost or concern for animal welfare, they stated that it has been “generally positive”being “minimal complaints” Front of “most favorable reactions from city residents,” he assured.